October 30

Good morning, Hillcrest!

This week a dear co-worker and friend passed away at the age of 56. He was one of my husband's previous supervisors. He was a big man with a big mouth, a big past, a big heart, and we truly loved him and were deeply sadened at his sudden passing. If Apostle Paul were to say something today about Smitty, it would echo what he wrote in Philemon 1:4-7. "I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in your love, Christ Jesus. For we have great job and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother."

Smitty told everyone he knew about the changing power of Jesus Christ who took him out of a drug ridden horrendous life and placed him here in Dallas at Reconciliation and totally saved and changed his life deeply. Family, friends, co-workers, strangers...all these lives were impacted because one man fell in love with Jesus, surrendered his life and shared his love and faith with anyone who would listen.

If Apostle Paul were thinking and praying and making mention of your name today, what would he say? Would he find you a faithful child of God, sharing your love, sharing your faith, and doing so effectively? Sometimes it is easier for us to share our love. God has given us so much love within our hearts, how can we not be loving to others?! But sharing our faith? Yes, we are full of faith...but how many of us actually share our faith with others?

Smitty often told his wife that he didn't think he was doing enough for the Lord...and yet now that he is gone the fruit of his witness remains strong and obvious. All he did was share the love of Jesus and his faith. He had no idea the impact on others. I encourage you today. We may not all have the terrible past that my friend had, creating such a powerful testimony, but we like him are new creatures since we are born again. We do have a testimony. We have a message. We know the heart of God to save a lost and dying world, to save a lost and dying Dallas. We know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I encourage you to share your love, share your faith, share Jesus with those He's put in your life. Be about your Father's work, and may it be said of you that you shared your faith effectively and that "the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you."

Let's get out of our comfort zones and make an impact in Dallas for God! God bless you.

Love, faith, and blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

October 22

Imagine that you were in the inner circle of Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. Imagine that out of that inner circle, only three of you experienced events and moments that none of the others did. Imagine being zealous for Jesus to the point that you wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy the opposition. Imagine clinging to Him and resting your head on His chest. Imagine your feelings and thoughts knowing that Jesus clearly loved you and being called "the Disciple whom Jesus loved."

John and his brother John clearly understood that Jesus was going to be glorified and reign. I'm sure all sorts of images danced in their heads as they imagined Jesus in His glory AND imagined what they would look like next to Him with power and prestigue at their taking. At that moment, I'm sure they were imaging Jesus reigning before them in Israel w/all their friends and enemies bowing at their feet. Zealously seizing the moment, these two Sons of Thunder as Jesus referred to them approached the King bolding asking for Jesus to do whatever they wanted in Mark 10:35-45, a portion of today's Scripture reading.

As they dialogued w/Jesus and He clearly told them that the positions to His left and right were not His to give but for those prepared for them, the other disciples got wind of James and John's bold request. Now imagine how you would feel if you were apart of His inner circle but that someone within wanted that special place of authority and greatness above you. Of course, all sorts of feelings stirred among the disciples as they heard the displeasing news. I'm sure pride and arrogance as well as competiveness and maybe even jealousy welled up within each of them. Can you relate?

But All-Knowing Jesus called them to Himself. Knowing their hearts and minds, He spoke these gentle but piercing words to His beloved disciples, "...but whoever of you desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Notice that He didn't rebuke them for wanting to be great in His Kingdom. He simply changed their perspective on that greatness - that achieving greatness in His Kingdom wasn't about exercising authority and lordship over others but serving them instead. Jesus, All-Powerful King, Son of God, reminded His zealous children that even He came not to be served but to serve to the point of ransoming His life, giving His life to redeem mankind who were bound and enslaved by sin.

And now we have that same opportunity...to serve as Jesus served...to lives our lives for Jesus by serving others. Not that we have to done a towel and apron and wash every foot that we see but that we use our gifts and talents and influence to somehow make a difference in someone else's life for the glory of God. Whether we change someone's flat tire or take a single mom groceries...whether we coach a soccer team or have a Bible study in our home...whether we give a homeless person a bottled water or a hungry child in Sunday School a cookie...serve as unto Jesus and you WILL make a difference in such lives!

Have a wonderful weekend. See you tomorrow.

Blessings,
Rolanda

October 20th

The Old Testament books of prophecy are filled with very sobering passages. Some are predictive, others are narratives of historical events, but they are all instructive. Our reading today from Jeremiah chapter thirty-six is a case in point.

Three simple yet very important realities stand out to me as I reflect on this chapter’s contents:

1. God is patient with His judgments. 

Even though King Jehoiakim had already imprisoned Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord tried yet again to send Him a message calculated to touch his heart and bring about true repentance. God’s purpose in doing this was so He could spare the king from the punishment he deserved. It is very important for every one of us to remind ourselves again and again that God always wants to forgive and redeem instead of judge.


2. God’s judgments are incredibly severe. 

It seems to me that most Christians today are far more aware of the reality of God’s grace than they are of the reality of His chastisements. Reading the Old Testaments prophets is a great antidote to this incomplete view of God’s character. Again and again, one encounters vivid depictions of the terrible consequences of God’s wrath. When the boy prophet Samuel receives his first revelation from the Lord, for example, God tells him that He is about to do something in judgment that will “…make the ears of everyone who hears it tingle.” The more we understand of God’s judgments, the more we can appreciate the wonders of His grace…and the more thankful we become for having experienced His mercy…!

3. God’s judgments in our lives are the consequences of our own choices. 

As astonishing as it may seem, instead of responding with contrition and repentance when Jeremiah’s prophecies were read to him, King Jehoiakim actually burned them in his fireplace. The flagrancy of this act, evidencing not only a callous disregard for God’s sovereign warning but also an utter disrespect for Jeremiah’s prophetic office and anointing, provoked the terrible promise that the king’s lineage would be completely destroyed and that even his corpse would be dishonored. All of this could have easily been avoided had the king chosen to respond differently to the word of the Lord. His decision determined his destiny.

Let's learn from his example and remain sensitive and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit…especially when He convicts of sin…!

Pastor Mark

October 19

Proverbs 25:23-24
As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks. Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

God’s Word has much to say about the words of our mouth. The Word of God says life and death is in the power of the tongue. In other words, the words we speak about our husbands and to our husbands can either bring life or death to him and our marriages.

In Proverbs 17:9 it says “He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.” That is why it is so important that we constantly look to Jesus and ask Him to help us speak words of wisdom and life. We have learned that we put on our new nature by constantly renewing our mind to who we are in Christ. When we walk in our new nature by respecting, admiring, praising and deeply loving our husbands, we will reap the blessing of God upon our marriages.

Of course there will be times when the enemy tries to steal the joy and peace from our marriage. Our husbands might say or do something that really irritates or upsets us. When we feel negative emotions rising in our soul, the best decision we could make is to turn our minds toward Jesus and say, “Lord help me. I need your strength. Empower me by your grace to love my husband with your unconditional love.”

Let’s take time today and ask the Lord to help us respect, honor, admire, appreciate and deeply love our husbands. As we do so, He will empower us to walk in our new nature in Christ and we will reap abundant life.

Blessings,
Shaun Estrada

October 18

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

Jeremiah buys a field. If a person read only this sentence, they might think, “ Good for Jeremiah. I hope he gets a good return on his investment.” If a historian or Biblical scholar read this passage, based on their familiarity with the state of Israel, they might assert that Jeremiah was a fool. However, if you read the Scripture passage posted right before this sentence, you would not only be familiar with the state of Israel at the time of this writing, but you would also know that Jeremiah was simply obeying the word of the Lord.

I think you and I can both agree that in the natural realm, Jeremiah buying a field was not what would be considered a wise monetary investment. As you recall, Jeremiah and his people were about to be carried away and their land completely destroyed. This would include the field that Jeremiah purchased. When I read this story, I wondered (as everyone did) why God would ever ask Jeremiah to purchase a plot of land that he would never be able to cultivate or even occupy. I mean, if I were an Israelite living at that time, I would probably try to sell all of the land I owned! Isn’t that what Jeremiah’s nephew was doing? I’m sure that those who knew him thought it a bit strange, even for Jeremiah. After all, they were preparing for what was to come-exile. But not Jeremiah, he was buying a field.

This story stirs my heart and increases my faith the more that I meditate on it. We know that even Jeremiah wrestled with God’s command and didn’t understand why He would make such an insane request. This is demonstrated clearly by the fact that the verses immediately following Jeremiah’s purchase describe him crying out to God for understanding in the matter.
Jeremiah’s obedience was his investment in what Israel saw as lost forever. Why invest in what you will never fully possess? Jeremiah’s obedience was birthed out of his unwavering faith in God’s promise. The promise of complete possession and restoration of the land. Jeremiah’s “foolishness” was a reminder to those who had lost sight of God’s original design for His people. When Israel was preparing to leave the land, Jeremiah was preparing to return. You might conclude that only a prophet could have such earth-shaking faith. I say only a visionary could. Only seeing through God’s eyes enables us give out of our lack because we see the eternal dividends of our obedience.

In Him, Lauryn

October 15

Good morning!

Peter, James, and John and the other disciples rocked this world for Jesus two thousand years ago. Their faith in Him and loyalty to follow Him transformed the world as they knew it. Jump to 2011. The calling upon their lives to go and make disciples and impact this world for Christ is now yours. The baton they ran with now lies within your grip. You are His 21st Century Disciples!

John 8:31 & 32 says, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Abide in His Word. As His disciples, we must know the Word of God. The Word of God is our map, sets our boundries, gives us the rules to live life by, shares God's very own love letters with us.

Abide in His Word. Abide means to remain, continue, and stay. It means to continue in a particular attitude or relationship. Just as the disciples once sat at the feet of Christ and hung on His every word, we too can sit at His feet and take in every word. Day in and day out no matter what we spend our time busily doing, we can abide in His Word and think about it with our minds and treasure it with our hearts.

"And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." As we abide in God's Word and hide it in our hearts, God reveals His powerful truths to us and sets us free to be the mighty men and women of God that He created us to be. So today I encourage you to take hold of that baton, take hold of His Word, His truth and run like your life depends on it...like your children's lives depend on it...like this world depends on it because there's a race to win!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

October 13

The One Year Bible reading reading for today from the Book of Proverbs chapter twenty-five teaches us four important things about the words we speak:

1. Right words spoken at the right time are extremely valuable. (“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” vs. 11)

Even the right words must spoken at the right time in order to achieve the right effect. As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and control us, He helps us know what to say and when to say it.

2. When wise people speak corrective words to us, they are doing us a great favor. (“Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. vs. 12)

Criticism is never easy to take, but well-intentioned criticism can be a very helpful teacher if we evaluate it honestly and sincerely by asking ourselves the question, “What lesson can I learn from my critic?” Sometimes even unfounded criticism reveals an area of our life that needs our attention. This helps us become a better person.

3. Accurately quoting someone else’s words honors and blesses them. (“Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him. vs. 13)

Not everything we hear said should be shared with others. When it is appropriate to quote someone, it is very important to accurately convey what they said, not what we think they meant. If we state conclusions we have drawn from their words, we should clearly distinguish between what they actually said and what we have come to think. To do otherwise is to risk misrepresenting their intent or even besmirching their character and reputation.

4. We should be very careful to never promise something we may be unable to deliver. (Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. vs. 14)

I once heard it said, “If you don’t toot your own horn it may never be tooted.” Scripture exhorts us to very different perspective regarding our own abilities and experience: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2 NIV)

As the Apostle James makes very clear in the New Testament, controlling our tongue is never an easy thing to do, but it is a very important part of being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. 

Join me today in praying for the Holy Spirit to help us control our tongues and for Hillcrest Church to be a place where words always edify and never destroy!

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. (James 3:2-8)

October 8

Good morning.

Reading today's daily Bible selections, Colossians 3:18-21 grabbed my attention. In this brief passage, God delivers specific marching orders - distinct - simple - but oh so difficult to put into action.

When Terry and I taught Family Connections Sunday School, one of our best series was called Love and Respect. We learned about the importance of women UNCONDITONALLY respecting our husbands. Respect. Not just love. Love comes natural for us. Respect does not. We have to work at it. Respect isn't due to him because he earned it. The saying that "he (or she) has to earn my respect" is not Biblical. We learned about the importance of men UNCONDTIONALLY loving their wives. Love. Not just respect. You see, respect comes more natural for a man. Love does not necessarily...at least not like we may want it to look like. Marriage takes work, but the dividends are priceless!

Now God loves the husband/wife relationship, but there's something more He's after. He's after godly offspring! So what does Colossians say about children? Obey Mommy and Daddy. Of course, we know that is much easier commanded than carried out. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child. That's why it takes on-going discipline to overcome the natural rebelliousness of our hearts & in our children's hearts. But the passage doesn't stop by instructing our children alone. God actually instructs fathers (and mothers) also. "Do not provoke or embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."

A few years ago, I was struggling w/my oldest daughter. She'd been hard-hearted and fought me about anything and everything all day long and had been in a season of doing so. Since she and I are both strong-willed, she pushed against me and I pushed back in the name of discipline. My heart was to train my daughter to do what was right and godly. My manner was legalistic and lacked grace. It was a Wed night. I finally told her she could not go to Children's Church which she loved. I told her she would have to stay with me in my class. Well, of course, she hardened up even more. So we sat in the fellowship hall next to each other at a table. I don't remember if I said anything else or just sat quietly with her and watched her. But after a while, she broke and revealed what was in her heart. Tears streamed down her face (and mine) as she told me that she just couldn't be good enough and didn't even think she'd ever make it into heaven. All of our legalistic, well-meaning training and disciplining had discouraged our sweet daughter.

Of course, Terry and I did not intentionally provoke or discourage our daughter. But it happens. And God cautions us not to let it happen for all of our own good. Be watchful, Parents. Know your children's hearts. If you've caused one to be discouraged either young or old, I encourage repent and go to him/her and make it right as we had to. Know each other's hearts. Love and respect in a marriage and in a parent to child relationship makes life much richer and rewarding.

Have a blessed weekend and enjoy your family!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

October 7

jeremiah 8:8-9:26;colossians 3:1-17;psalm 78:32-55;proverbs 24:27

“Where did you get that outfit?”

Some people have the ability to pick the right outfit every day. My wife has told me that it depends on what “season” your hair and skin tone shows or what piece of fruit you are shaped like?!? I do great just to keep my socks matching. Picking what to wear on the outside may be difficult but choosing what to put on the inside of you is easy. In our New Testament scripture today Colossians 3:1-17, we are given the greatest fashion advice of all time.

8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Wow, do you realize that we have the choice to pick up or put down all these “fashion” items! Slander has such an attractive appearance to our flesh and ego; if we can find fault in someone else we may feel better about ourselves. How about filthy language, that looks great on a person right?

What does God’s chosen people look like? What can we clothe ourselves with dearly loved? Yes, that list looks like HIM doesn’t it? So this is what I want to say to you today, “Where did you get that outfit?”

Blessings,
Pastor David

October 5

Rooted and Grounded in Him

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2: 6-7)

The expression “rooted and built up in him” reminds me of Jesus being the vine, and we being the branches (John 15:1-17), where “remaining” in Jesus means to live in His love and to live out that love. We feel and believe that God loves us, and we are to go about the business of loving one another.

Here in Colossians, we are encouraged to continue to live in Jesus. Those who are rooted in Christ will draw their strength and nourishment from Him. As they do so, they will continue to grow and be built up by Him. The more you grow, the more deeply your roots will take hold of Jesus, which will result in increasing gratitude in your lives.

A Christian must have deep roots in Christ if he is to produce fruit. The mature Christians roots are deep in Christ like a tree in the ground. He is the source of our life and strength. Being rooted and grounded in Christ, leads us to stability. As we grow in stability, we must be careful to give God the thanks. The scripture reads “abounding in thanksgiving”. Abounding means overflow. It is one thing to give thanks; it is another to give thanks abundantly. Gratefulness is the manifestation of someone rooted in Christ and recognizes what God has done in his or her life.
If your desire today is to become rooted and grounded in Christ may I encourage you to spend time daily with the Lord. Read the Word of God more and you will draw strength and nourishment from Him. Continue to give God thanks for all He has done, all that He is doing, and all He is going to do in your life.

Blessings,
Shaun Estrada

October 4

Philippians 4:1-23

Be anxious for nothing.

I took a walk by the lake after work today. There was a soft breeze and it’s been so hot lately, that 90 degrees felt more like 70 degrees.
My endeavor was two-fold: to burn calories and to burn off the frustrations that had been collecting over the past eight hours. I decided those 30 minutes would be dedicated to the care of life’s problems. I could “unpack” all my worries and attempt to fix them before my time ran out.
But as I breathed in the beauty of God’s imagination, I felt drawn to Him. The lake was luminous. It cradled the sun’s rays like a bed of jewels. I quickly became distracted by the realization of His presence.
His voice interrupted the chaos inside of my heart. His whispers fell like a blanket upon me. He wrapped me up and carried me to Himself. I had ceased from my “unpacking”. He had my full attention. His presence was all around me and all I could think or feel was, “God, you are so beautiful.”
It was simply the presence of God that set my heart at ease. I was no longer “fixing” my life. Instead I was staring into His eyes. I was no longer fretting. It was like when a child is in the dark. He can’t see so he becomes frightened and starts to cry. But that fear of the unknown quickly diminishes once he hears the voice of his father. The touch of his father’s hand floods that child’s heart with peace that flows over.
We must cease from worry, if we seek to enjoy God’s presence. Our impulse to fear will diminish once we realize He is with us. We cannot entertain our fears and truly enjoy our Father. He alone should be the guest of honor in our hearts. And where He abides, there is only light.
Paul wrote in Philippians 4: 6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. “ In His presence, we can cry out. We can make our needs known. And only when we cry out to Him, can he make Himself known in respect to those needs.
In that place of our darkness, He speaks and our hearts are illuminated.

Beloved, my prayer for you today is that your heart is flooded with the knowledge of His presence. That the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I pray that you will follow His lead as He brings you unto Himself.

Blessings,

Lauryn Everett

October 1

Good morning!

"Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." Can you picture Psalm 73:23 & 24 in your mind? As I read those words, I think of a loving father, holding his little son's hand as they cross the street while Daddy teaches his son to stop and look both ways. I picture a loving father holding his daughter's hand as they walk through a park w/Daddy giving true words of life, of counsel, at such a teachable moment.

In Psalm 73, the Psalmist, caught up in wordliness, momentarily began to envy the ungodly and dwell upon the things he longed for in their lives. How many of us can relate? How many of us have momentarily lost our focus on Christ to look at the idols of this world and the ungodly who possess them and wish we were in their shoes? Money. Possessions. Beauty. Fame. Intellect to name a few.

Then, the Psalmist awakened from his envious state and repented. He didn't just say, "I'm sorry," and refocus his attention to some godlier thoughts. His heart swelled with adoration of the only one, true God! He remembered, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You." "My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever," declares the Psalmist.

May we be quick to repent when we stray from His Word, and may our hearts be filled with such adoration and worship of the only One who matters in heaven and earth, our Abba Father God!

Have a blessed weekend!
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister